After The Talk
by Harmony21
Summary: Felicity is kidnapped after confronting Moira about Thea's parentage. Oliver goes insane when he discovers her missing and to Diggle's surprise, is willing to throw his vow out the window.
1. Chapter 1

Felicity's thoughts were racing as she left the mansion and returned to her car. Telling Oliver the truth about Thea's parentage was the right thing to do and yet something deep inside her screamed to be wary of Moira. The woman was a snake in the grass, one with a lot of money, power and influence.

"You tell him this, you will rip his world apart." Moira had said. "He'll hate me for sure but he'll hate you too."

Oliver wouldn't hate her for speaking the truth.

Would he?

The next few days found her distracted and subdued as she tried to figure out how and when to tell him. Everyone noticed the difference, but no one said a word until Oliver himself asked her about it at Moira's rally.

So with tears in her eyes that he wiped gently away, Felicity told Oliver the truth about his sister. He was angry, but not at her, and despite what Moira thought, he didn't hate Felicity. He couldn't think badly of her for being honest.

That evening, after the explosive reveal, Felicity found herself curled up on her couch in her cozy apartment, a much-needed mug of hot tea in one hand and her iPad resting on her knees.

She was about to take a swallow when a scuffling sound caught her attention. Before she could do more than look up, four men burst through her doorway, pointing weapons at her.

There was no time to call out for help, or even get up before they were on her. A tranq dart to the neck and black cloth over her head was the last thing she remembered before blacking out.

In a bad mood, Oliver stomped down the stairs. He really shouldn't have gone out hunting tonight, the truth about Thea had him too distracted. On the other hand, protecting the innocent of the city was one of his jobs; he couldn't – wouldn't – leave them to suffer, no matter his personal problems.

Dig, who had directed him on tonight's outing, was at the computer bank as he came into the lair and made for his case, returning his bow to its place?

"How'd it go?"

Oliver grunted.

"That good eh?"

Oliver could hear the amusement in Diggle's voice without looking. "I was so distracted, I let two drug dealers get away," he growled, finally turning to glare at his friend.

Dig just shrugged. "Can't get 'em all Oliver. They'll screw up another night and then you can catch them."

Oliver growled again. "Has Felicity been in yet?"

Dig shook his head. "She decided to take the night off. I guess the rally took more out of her than she was willing to admit."

Without replying, Oliver made for his non-Arrow phone to call her. When there was no answer after half a dozen rings, he put the phone down, frowning worriedly.

"What?" Dig asked, picking up on his concern.

"Something's not right. She usually picks up after three rings; it's not like her to not answer."

Diggle was already going for his gun. "What are you thinking?"

Worries about Thea were pushed aside, and his adrenaline began to rush through him as Oliver thought of Felicity – his Felicity – being in trouble.

"We need to get over there. Now."

With Dig at the wheel, they made it to Felicity's place in minutes. Still dressed in his leathers and with his bow at the ready, Oliver led the way to her door. He froze when he saw the state of it. "Diggle," he hissed.

"Right behind you," said the other man, his gun out.

Together they moved into her apartment; it took less than thirty seconds to sweep the place.

"She's not here," said Dig.

Oliver returned to the middle of Felicity's living room, his bow now at his side.

Diggle frowned at him, nearly jumping a foot into the air when Oliver abruptly threw his head back and screamed, venting his fear and rage.

A sliver of fear went down Dig's spine at the sound, the tingle turning into a shudder at the look on his friend's face. He'd never heard Oliver make such a sound, and never wanted to again.

If his reaction was any indication, Dig knew Oliver wasn't going to stop until he had Felicity back, and nothing but death would stop him.

As Oliver led the way out Dig hid another shudder. Whoever they would encounter in the course of their search, he was already feeling sorry for them.

He didn't have to ask; the no-kill vow was off the table.


	2. Chapter 2

Tension ran extremely high as the men returned to the Foundry, where Sara awaited them. She noticed instantly that there was a problem.

"What's going on?"

Oliver went right to the computer bank and began to type furiously without answering.

"Diggle?" Sara asked.

"We were just at Felicity's. She's missing," he said heavily, crossing his arms.

Sara paled. "What?"

Dig nodded, his eye on Oliver, who sat rigidly in Felicity's chair. "We don't know who took her or why, but I don't think it's related to the Arrow."

It was then Oliver spoke up, so furious he could barely get his words out. "I don't care who took her," he growled. "They will give her back or die."

Sara and Dig exchanged glances. "The vow's off the table," Dig whispered.

"I heard that Diggle," Oliver snapped.

"I wasn't trying to -"

A savage growl cut him off.

"Ollie," said Sara, trying to take the softer approach. "Getting mad won't help us find her."

Oliver sighed, his emotions tangled so thoroughly he couldn't separate them. "I know it's just-" he looked over at them and for the first time, both Sara and Dig saw terror and despair in his eyes. "I need her back."

His increasing desperation over the next few hours had all of them on edge.

"Can't it go any faster?" He growled, indicating a search the computer was currently executing.

"Take a pill Oliver," said Dig. "It's doing the best it can with what we gave it. Why don't you and I do some canvassing? Sara can stay here and monitor the search."

Going out and pounding people was better than staying put. With a snarl, Oliver snatched his bow from the case and stalked out, Dig on his heels.

The sensation of cold metal was the first thing Felicity was aware of when she regained consciousness. The second was the shake-inducing chill to her skin.

She opened her eyes then and was horrified by what she discovered.

Her hands were tied behind her with zip ties and she was gagged. Worst of all, she was not only naked, she was also secured to the wall behind her with a heavy chain and neck manacle.

Besides death and rape, it was the worst scenario she could imagine.

At least her glasses were still on, so she was able to see. The room she was in was dark and small; a grungy man with long hair sat in a chair a few feet from her. She glared at him.

He noticed she was awake and laughed at her expression. "Hang on to something babe," he slurred, grinning like an idiot. "You're in for a wild ride."

He got to his feet and, stumbling a little, left the room, still chuckling.

Felicity strained against her bonds as terror consumed her.

_O-LIV-ER_!

Dig and Oliver returned to the lair several hours later, empty handed and without any new information as to Felicity's location.

Sara was sitting at the computer station, nails tapping the desktop, deep in thought. She turned to face them as they came in.

"Doesn't Felicity have a tattoo?"

"What?" The men said together rather distractedly.

"Felicity, she has a tattoo, right?"

Oliver shook his head, trying to remember if he'd ever heard mention of one. "I don't think so."

Sara swung back around toward the screen and began to type. Within a few moments, she'd brought up Felicity's personal file.

"Where did you find that?" Oliver asked tightly, staring at the screen over her shoulder.

"I've seen files like this," said Sara evasively. "I figure you guys might have something similar. Dig's in here, so are you, Oliver."

The three of them scanned the file intently, looking for a clue. After a few moments, Dig let out a soft "Aha," and pointed toward the bottom of the screen.

"What?"

"Look here."

At the very bottom of the first page, under the heading 'scars tattoos etc' there was a picture of Felicity's leg, marked with a small green arrowhead.

Pride and love bloomed in Oliver's chest at the sight of the mark. Of all the things she could have gotten, she'd chosen his symbol and colour.

"Oliver?"

More than anyone else, John Diggle knew how his friend felt about Felicity. He noted Oliver's expression of love before it vanished under yet another of his masks.

"Let's find her." There was no room for argument in his tone.

Sara scrolled back to the top of the page and was about to go to another window when Dig noted a flashing symbol in one corner. "What's that?"

She clicked on it and up popped a notice. It consisted of three words.

'Tat ink tracker'

"Click on it," came Oliver's urgent voice from behind Sara.

When she did so, a map of Starling and the surrounding area appeared. Just outside the the city's limits was a blinking red signal.

"Oh Felicity, you are brilliant!" Oliver crowed.

"Dig and Sara didn't appear to understand. "What? Oliver, what is it?"

He was grinning now. "She's given us a way to track her. Her tattoo is embedded with a microchip."


	3. Chapter 3

Felicity couldn't believe her situation. Sure, she was scared, terrified actually, but she drew a measure of comfort from the fact that she had a super tattoo.

The green arrowhead on her ankle contained a nearly invisible microchip, which was why the tip where it was hidden was black. It may have been a bullseye for trouble, but if it helped the team find her, she didn't care.

Looking a bit more sober, Grimy Drunk returned and on his heels came a man who was his physical opposite. Well groomed and clean cut, dressed in a shirt and jeans, the man crouched down so he was eye level with her.

She felt like something on display as he inspected her with a critical eye. After a moment, he got to his feet and turned to his cohort.

"I'll get her prepped. Go tell Claude she's about ready." The other man nodded, turning to go out the door.

The well dressed man leered at her and Felicity felt her insides clench. Her terror doubling as she realized what they intended to do to her.

The man put another black cloth over her head and undid the bonds from around her neck. "Come on sweetheart, there's someone waiting for you."

From behind her gag, Felicity screamed as he easily tossed her over his shoulder and towed her from the room.

"Activate the chip," Oliver instructed.

The activation brought up a map of Starling's west side, but the details were too grainy and distorted to discern. Even still, it was a large area.

"Damn," said Dig. "That's a lot of ground to cover."

"She hasn't moved?" Oliver asked.

Sara shook her head. "Still in the same place."

"Keep an eye on it, and try and clean the image up. We need to know exactly where she is. I won't waste time searching the whole city for her."

Nodding, Sara started inputting code, hoping Felicity was ok.

Felicity was brought to another room, this one bigger than the first, and tossed unceremoniously onto a huge and very uncomfortable bed, landing on her back.

She squeaked from behind her gag and when the black cloth was removed, she found herself staring up into the eyes of a man she guessed to be Claude.

The man who'd brought her in was there with him, but Claude didn't seem very happy.

"Really Peter, you brought me a blonde? Do you have any idea how stupid they are?"

Had she been able, Felicity would have fired back for that comment.

Peter sighed, and Felicity could hear just from the sound that whatever else was going on, his patience with Claude was wearing thin.

"She's the best the guys could find. They scoured that whole neighbourhood."

Felicity glared but the men had turned away from her and didn't notice.

"Well if I'm going to have a blond, I'd prefer she be able to move properly," Claude groused. "It's no fun when they're bound up like a Christmas turkey. And besides, I really like it when they scream." He moved around the side of the bed to take out her gag and remove the ties, freeing her mouth and limbs.

Peter made to leave, but not before turning and grinning evilly at her. "Have fun darling," he drawled before he shut and locked the door.

Felicity should have been terrified, but instead, now that she was freed, she was determined to find her own way out and was relying on lessons taught to her by Oliver and Dig.

"Aways observe," was one of Oliver's things. "Just because you don't see everything clearly, doesn't mean the brain won't get the information."

As Claude turned away to undress, Felicity sat up and swung her head back and forth, taking in possible escape routes and any weapons of opportunity.

The room was dimly lit but she could still see clearly.

An unlocked, open window to her right. Perfect.

Suddenly, she was back in the Foundry, for her first defence lesson with Diggle.

"There are two things you can do to an opponent," he'd told her. "If you're on your feet and they're blocking your way, shoving them at the hip, as the centre of gravity, will move them faster than dodging. A sharp chop to the neck works too."

Felicity grinned as Claude turned around. There was no need for any external weapons, _she_ was the weapon.

Claude moved onto the bed and made to straddle her; flattening her hands, she chopped him violently on the sides of his neck.

Surprised, he fell to the side clutching his throat, wheezing and unable to breathe. Hoping she wouldn't kill him, she punched him hard in the solar plexus and shoved him off the bed. He landed on the wooden floor with a satisfying thud.

Quickly, before he could recover, she jumped up and ran to the window, turning back to him a moment. "By the way," she said, her confidence at an all time high. "I may be blonde, but I'm not stupid. You are."

Without another word, she shimmied through the window and out into the dark Starling night.


	4. Chapter 4

In the lair, the men were sparing with bamboo sticks as Sara monitored the computer. All of a sudden she stiffened, staring at the screen, then let out a sharp whistle.

The noise had the guys freezing instantly. "What?" Dig asked.

"She's on the move," said Sara, pointing.

Oliver dropped his sticks and rushed over, his expression one of worry. "Where is she?"

Sara indicated the blinking signal, which was moving none too quickly in an easterly direction.

"She must be on foot. Enhance it," said Oliver, his tone tight.

Having been cleaned up, the larger image was clear enough to see street names.

"Dig." There was no need for Oliver to say more.

"On it," Diggle said, moving to his weapon stash.

Having gotten changed for their sparring match, Oliver hurried back into his leathers and mask before strapping on his quiver and adding an earpiece.

"Get us to her," he told Sara as he and Dig made to leave.

Sara nodded and watched them go, hoping Felicity didn't get into trouble before they got there.

Oliver began communication the moment he peeled his bike out of Verdant's alley. Dig followed him in the team's surveillance car.

"Which way Sara?" He refused to use his usual question, as 'talk to me' was reserved only for Felicity.

"Right on Armsten, then left on Palvol. There should be a small house at the end of the block." There was a pause, and she came up with an address. "1792, the house is at the corner of Palvol and Richards. Her signal's just west of there."

Dig and Oliver followed the road, winding their way along the route she'd described. Finally, Oliver stopped at 1792. The house was in a quiet neighbourhood; no one in sight.

Dig pulled the car up beside his bike and got out, meeting Oliver on the sidewalk. "It's pretty quiet out here. You think anyone's seen anything?"

Shrugging, Oliver held his bow ready and began walking westward.

"Where to now, Sara?"

"You're in the right place, she should be right –"

Movement near a streetlamp caught Oliver's attention. In unison, both he and Dig raised their weapons, ready to fire.

A frightened voice came out of the darkness, just outside the light.

"Guys, could you please put those down?"


	5. Chapter 5

Oliver stared, his bow lowering without conscious thought. Felicity's voice was coming from some bushes and she seemed reluctant to come out.

"Felicity?" He called.

"Don't come over here, Oliver. They took my clothes."

She sounded both indignant and embarrassed.

Returning his gun, Dig immediately shrugged out of his jacket and went to give it to her. "I won't look," he promised.

A few moments later, with Diggle's arms protectively around her shoulders, she came into view, looking a bit worse for wear but unhurt.

Oliver wrapped her up in a tight hug, grateful beyond measure that she was ok.

Felicity hugged him back and began to cry.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked anxiously.

"Yeah," she managed to nod through her sobs.

Oliver held her, soothing her until her tears were spent, then ushered her into the car with Dig.

"I'll meet you at the lair," he told them, returning to his bike.

The ride back was a silent one. Diggle didn't ask Felicity what had happened or how she'd managed to get away. He had a pretty good idea and didn't want her to have to recount the experience more than once.

To Felicity, the Foundry had never seemed more inviting. After changing into a spare set of clothes, she wrapped herself up in a blanket, but only after Sara had given her a big hug.

A near physical wave of tension engulfed the lair when Oliver arrived; after he got changed, the three of them waited for Felicity to tell them her story.

Speaking quietly, she recounted the kidnapping itself and what had happened while she'd been held; there was no missing the pride from Dig and Oliver when she got to her escape. Their lessons with her had paid off.

As she prepared to head out, Sara affectionately rubbed her shoulder. "I'm glad you're ok. You had us worried."

"Terrified actually. Bullseye here went nuts when he found you gone," Dig said motioning to Oliver as he prepared to leave too.

Felicity laughed as Oliver gave Dig his best glare. "I didn't go nuts," he retorted.

Diggle snorted. "You roared at the ceiling and were willing to throw your vow away; I think that certifies."

"I still might!" Oliver said to Diggle's back as he went up the stairs to the club.

"I should head out too, I think." Felicity began to say, but Oliver stopped her.

"You're not staying alone." Felicity opened her mouth to argue, but Oliver was having none of it. "Don't argue with me, Felicity, I won't see you hurt again."

Seeing his point, she backed down and reluctantly allowed him to take her back to her apartment.

To her chagrin, he parked himself comfortably on her couch; stretched out, he looked as though he owned it.

Determined not to let the memories of the past bother her, Felicity went to change into her jammies. When she came out, Oliver was in the kitchen, making tea.

Peering around his massive bulk, she arched a brow at the strange-looking mix in her mortar and pestle. "Are those island herbs?"

Adding the mix to her kettle, Oliver turned to grin at her. "They'll help you sleep. I grabbed some before we left. Here." He handed her a mug and disappeared into the living room.

Grateful yet suspicious, Felicity took the mug and went to join Oliver, who was laid out on the couch.

"You do realize you're here just the one night, right?"

He arched a brow. "I'll stay with you as long as I need to," he said comfortably.

Mr. Overprotective, she thought, putting down her tea and fetching him a pillow and blanket. Of course, Dig would be the same; the two men were remarkably similar that way. At times like this, she was grateful for it.

She handed the items to him before retrieving her mug. "Night Oliver."

He called out his goodnight and she heard him settle down before she shut her door, hoping she wasn't going to have nightmares.

Hours later, as the sun was beginning to come up, Oliver blinked open his eyes to see light streaming through the picture window. Groaning, he stretched, surprised by the exceptionally rare good sleep he'd had.

After a moment, he froze, remembering where he was.

Felicity. Suddenly panicked, he jumped up from the couch and moved silently to her door.

It opened mere moments later; she stared at him in surprise before he moved out of her way.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked, following her to the kitchen.

"Good. Thanks for the tea last night, it did the trick."

"No nightmares?"

She shook her head. "No; you?"

Felicity knew full well he sometimes still had bad dreams about his time away.

"I slept like a rock," he said.

She laughed before putting on coffee. "Just this once," she said, remembering a promise that she would never make it for him.

Oliver accepted a cup before bringing up something he'd been thinking of the night before. "Your kidnappers, did they say anything about who ordered it?"

Sobering, Felicity shook her head. "I don't think I was the only one. They've either been doing this a long time or they had other girls."

His expression darkened. "Human traffickers."

Felicity nodded, noting the appearance of his 'angry face'. "I saw three men but only got two names, Peter and Claude. I think they were operating on the west side of the city."

Oliver put down his mug and Felicity could see him fading away, replaced with the Arrow. "We need to take them down."


	6. Chapter 6

With anyone else, Felicity would have laughed, but she knew by his tone and expression that Oliver was dead serious, and she didn't doubt he would kill if he had to; he'd done it before.

"Ok then," she said, finishing her coffee. "I'll go get dressed."

"Felicity, you're not go –"

"Oliver," she said in her I'm-trying-to-make-you-see-sense voice. "You don't know where to look; granted you know it's on the west side of the city, but you don't have an exact target. I'm the only one who can lead you to the right place."

He didn't want to, but could see her point. Without her help, they were going in blind and he refused to do that, ever.

He huffed a sigh and finished his coffee. "Fine, you can help _find_ the place, but you're not going into the field."

"Like I want to see that place again," she snorted. "Don't get all worked up. I doubt even Sara would want to go."

"Well she will be!" He called after her as she went back to her room.

They spent the day at the office and after dark when they got to the lair, it was to see Dig and Sara poring over a collection of digital maps.

"Any progress?" Oliver asked.

Dig shook his head. "We've narrowed it down a bit thanks to Felicity's chip, but I'd rather we have just one building to go into."

"I memorized landmarks when I was escaping," said Felicity, zooming in closer. "It's in this area here, south southwest."

Oliver, Dig and Sara peered over her shoulder. "You sure?" Oliver asked.

Felicity nodded. "I saw a Big Belly Burger sign, so that means our building is at Ashland and Pride." It was just few streets over from where she'd been found.

Exchanging looks, Oliver and Sara went the change. Dig prepared to leave too while Felicity settled in at her computers, ready to direct them.

"Kick butt for me," she called as the three of them left.

Oliver smiled as he followed Sara and Dig up the stairs. He'd send most the men to Lance and woe betide any of them if he ever saw them again.

They soon reached their destination and Oliver asked for caution. There was a chance the men were still inside.

The three of them moved in. In no time, they found two of the men Felicity'd mentioned, plus four more. They were gathered together in a converted dining room, playing cards and drinking. The rest of the house was empty.

Inwardly grinning at such an easy catch, Oliver turned on his modulator, and his mechanically-deepened voice rumbled around the room.

"Which one of you is Peter?"

A well dressed black-haired man slowly raised a terrified hand.

"Do you know what we'll do to you if you don't cooperate?" Sara asked.

"Y-yes. Please," Peter begged. "please don't h-hurt us."

To make sure there would be no tricks or escape attempts, Oliver fired an arrow into the shoulder of the man sitting nearest him.

The man screamed and fell off his chair, clutching at his injury.

"If you do _anything_, we _will_ kill you," Oliver growled at the assembly.

The men nodded, too afraid now to speak. They'd heard of the Arrow, and considering what Oliver had just done, were rightly terrified of him.

"Where are the other girls?" Oliver asked.

Peter looked confused. "There are no other girls," he said, swallowing convulsively when Oliver moved as if to shoot him. "Ok ok, we had one here but she escaped!"

"Who?"

"I don't know, I didn't get a name! All I know is she was blond; she put one of our buyers in the hospital."

It had to be Claude. Under his hood, Oliver's proud grin was almost cruel. Serves him right.

"On your knees, all of you. Canary, call the cops."

Lance arrived less than half an hour later, impressed by the takedown.

"How'd you find these guys?"

"They kidnapped Felicity," said Oliver through gritted teeth.

Quentin winced. "Did they hurt her?" He could hear the fatherly concern in his voice.

"No, she escaped and managed to put one in hospital."

"Atta girl," said Lance proudly.

Oliver turned away towards Sara and Dig. "Where you off to?" Lance called.

"To take care of some business."

"I figure you're going to talk to the guy, so please don't kill him!"

Oliver moved away without replying. "Let's go," he said to his partners.

They arrived at the hospital, Felicity directing them via hacked hospital cameras to Claude's room.

The space contained four beds, but only one was occupied; the sleeping man had dark brown hair and a craggily face. He woke up as Oliver approached him.

The fear he exuded gave Oliver a degree of satisfaction. "Claude, you have failed this city!"

"No I haven't, I swear!"

Oliver handed his bow to Sara. Then he grabbed Claude by the hospital gown he wore and hauled him upright. "Last night you were with Peter, intending to buy a girl off him weren't you?" He snarled, getting right in the man's face.

Claude whimpered like a frightened child and nodded. "The girls are taken for a test run before they're bought, kinda like a car."

Oliver saw a dozen shades of red, his rage mounting at Claude's tone; he sounded as if it were ok to do such a thing. Furious, he shoved him violently onto the bed then brought his face within inches of the other man's, careful to keep it shielded.

"If I ever get wind that you and your crap friends are peddling girls again, I will put an arrow in your heart," he hissed.

The dire threat was enough to have Claude cowering with terror into his bedcovers. "I promise," he whimpered. "N-no more girls."

Sara gave him back his bow as the three of them left the hospital and; as they approached the car and bikes, Dig gave a low whistle. "If I didn't know you Oliver, I would _not_ want to meet you in a dark alley. You'd scare me to death."

"I'm willing to do what I have to, Dig" Oliver said shortly, stowing his bow and mounting his bike. "Even if it means having to kill."

"I'm glad you didn't have to," Sara said as she got on behind him.

They returned to the lair, where Felicity waited for them with a happy smile on her face. "Good job," she said, though she only had eyes for Oliver.

Smiling, he rubbed her back. "All taken care of," he said softly.

She nodded acceptingly. "Good, we don't need scuzzies like that on the streets."

Dig laughed as Oliver and Sara went to change back into their street clothes. "You did your part Felicity by hospitalizing that one guy."

"Yeah I did, didn't I?" She beamed.

"Once he's recovered," said Diggle, "the cops are going to book him for his part in the ring."

"Anyone feel like celebrating?" Felicity asked.

Dig raised his hand as Oliver and Sara came back. "Big Belly Burger?"

Agreeing, they turned out the Foundry lights; the four of them went up the stairs, moving through the club and out into the streets toward the diner. For the moment, all was right with the world.


End file.
